


exit, pursued by a bear

by armillarysphere



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bears, M/M, Pining, Zookeeper AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 15:14:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5544743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/armillarysphere/pseuds/armillarysphere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The zoo isn’t struggling, but having someone come in and help them with the finances is definitely going to make things easier.</p>
            </blockquote>





	exit, pursued by a bear

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aworldinside](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aworldinside/gifts).



> Inspiration for large parts of this comes from [https://www.instagram.com/zwf_adventures/ ](https://www.instagram.com/zwf_adventures/)
> 
> I don't know an awful lot about actually running a zoo, so this is based on what I've learnt from various TV documentaries! Apologies for any glaring inaccuracies. 
> 
> Thank you to the usual suspects for the help along the way! <3 Much love to you all.

Willie wakes up to a bear in his bed. 

“Eva,” he groans, pushing her head away from where she's breathing into his face. “Down. You've got your own bed.”

Eva whines and tries again to burrow closer. It's not cold, but she's only a baby, and Willie is a pushover. He lifts the covers and curls himself around the bear cub once she's settled, closing his eyes and settling down to sleep again. 

;;

Eva comes when she's just a few weeks old, the size of a football with the appetite of a linebacker. Willie feeds her bottle after bottle and falls in love. It’s not an easy task, taking in an orphan who needs around the clock care, but the message she will enable the zoo to give, about the conservation of grizzly bears, will be more than worth it.

;;

“Come on,” Willie says, holding the door open for Eva to scuttle through. She’s still not the best at moving around on her feet, but she’s getting there. She wants to be in everyone’s business, though, which helps with motivation. There’s always a bag to inspect, or some drawers to pull out, the contents of either to strew across the floor. Willie scoops her up into his arms once they’re through, presses his face into the fur of her neck, and carries her to the jeep.

Willie’s house is in the zoo complex, but it’s easier to drive the short distance to the main offices than it is to walk with a curious little bear who wants to put her nose into everything. Literally. 

Eva settles in the passenger seat while Willie drives, listening to the sounds of the zoo waking up around them. 

;;

There's a new guy standing by Willie's assistant's desk when he gets inside, tall and dark, shoulders filling out his suit jacket in a way Willie can appreciate. There are a pair of thick rimmed glasses on his nose when he turns and greets Willie with a smile. 

“Hi, I'm Alec,” the new guy says, hand held out towards Willie. “I'm with Mr Williams.”

It takes Willie a moment to work out who Mr Williams might be and why someone would be waiting by Willie's office in relation to him. Willie hasn’t met anyone from the consultancy before, but they’ve been exchanging emails to arrange this trip for a few weeks.

“Oh, you must be the accountant,” Willie says, shaking Alec’s hand. “I'm Willie. Come through and take a seat.”

Alec nods, following behind as Willie opens the door to the office. “Coffee?” Willie asks while he opens the window blinds and switches on the little Keurig on the side table.  
“Sure, thanks,” Alec says, sitting on the small couch. Willie’s office isn’t really an office, it’s more like an extension of his house. There’s a desk, of course, and some filing cabinets and drawers, but there are also couches and comfy chairs, and pictures everywhere of the animals, past and present, who fill the zoo. Willie makes the coffee and takes the mugs over to sit down opposite Alec on the armchair. Eva has already made herself comfortable in her usual spot, and is regarding Alec with curiosity.

“Say ‘hi’, Eva,” Willie says, leaning forward, elbows on his knees, nodding from Eva to Alec. Eva crawls closer and sniffs the air in Alec’s direction. “It’s okay, I’m sure he’s nice.” Willie winks at him. He certainly hopes Alec is nice. The zoo isn’t struggling, but having someone come in and help them with the finances is definitely going to make things easier. 

;;

Willie spends the morning talking Alec through the situation at the zoo, the various fundraising events they’ve held, what their forecasts have been, everything that keeps him chained to his desk when he could be outside with the animals that he tends to put off for that exact reason. Alec nods and hums and makes notes, takes printouts and USBs of the accounts, and makes himself at home at the table in Willie’s office.

There’s a knock at the door just as Willie is handing over the last of it, which is perfect timing for Willie to make his escape - there’s only so long he can spend within four walls without going stir crazy. The door opens in response to the “come in!” he calls out, and Aaron’s head appears in the gap. 

“Hey, Ek, what’s up?” 

“There’s someone to see you. Mr Williams? He said he was due later but he got in a little early and came straight here after he checked into his hotel,” Aaron says, pushing through into the room a little more. “I can give him the tour if you need more time?”

Willie stands up, knees creaking, and stretches his arms over his head. “No, it’s okay. Eva and I need some fresh air anyway. Alec, you good if I leave you in Aaron’s capable hands? He’s our latest intern.”

Alec looks up from the stack of papers he’s leafing through and nods, smiling in Aaron’s direction. “Yeah, I think I’ve got everything I need for now.”

“Excellent,” Willie says, clapping his hands and rubbing them together. “Just let Aaron know if he can get you anything. Help yourself to coffee, and I’ll come by to take you out to lunch in a couple hours.”

“Sounds great,” Alec says. He waves as Willie leaves the room with Aaron, Eva crawling ahead of them, stopping every now and then, picking something up and playing with it in her paws, then dropping it and moving on. It takes them a long time moving anywhere like this, so Willie scoops her up and passes her over to Aaron, who settles her in his arms and carries her alongside Willie. When they get to the entrance to the visitor’s center, there’s a man waiting by the doors who turns and raises a hand in greeting once they are close enough.

“Mitchy, this is Mr Williams,” Aaron says, setting Eva down on the ground again.

“Oh, Justin is fine,” Mr Williams - Justin - says. “Mr Williams is just what it says on my business cards. How’re you doing?”

“I’m good, thanks,” Willie says, reaching over to shake Justin’s hand. “How was your journey? You managed to find us okay.”

“Yep, no problems at all,” Justin says with a wide smile. He’s handsome - very handsome - with curls that lick at the top of his ears, expensive looking sunglasses nestled in them on top of his head. Wille can’t help but smile back.

“I thought I’d give you the tour and then we could all go out to lunch,” Willie says, opening the door and stepping outside. It’s warmed up since he was outside last and he can feel the sweat start to bead at the small of his back, sticking his shirt to his skin. He wonders how Justin is coping in his jeans and button down shirt. “We can talk shop while we walk and then take a break while we eat. How does that sound?”

“Perfect,” Justin says as he follows Willie, and Eva and Aaron, out into the sunshine. “This must be Eva,” he adds, gesturing down to where she’s trying to climb up Aaron’s legs.

“Yeah, this is my girl,” Willie says, proud and a little surprised that Justin remembers. He’d sent over some information about the zoo to Justin’s office back when they’d first contacted them about sending a consultant down to help them out, but he hadn’t thought anyone would bother to learn the animals’ names. Then again, Eva is special, and definitely memorable. 

“She’s so cute,” Justin says, crouching down so he can get on her level. Eva sniffs his face and his hair, just getting out of the way quick enough when she reaches to grab for his sunglasses. “Almost,” he adds, standing up again and slipping the sunglasses down onto his nose. Willie watches himself reflected in them for a moment, then smiles and leads them down the path to the rest of the zoo.

;;

There’s a knock at the door of Willie’s house just as he’s about to feed Eva, so he just shouts for whoever it is to come in, and keeps Eva settled in his arms. She’s mostly on fruits and so on now, but still has her formula in the evenings. Willie cranes his neck to see who it is as the door swings open. It’s probably Aaron, who sometimes comes to take Eva over to his place so that Willie can get an uninterrupted night’s sleep. 

“Hi, I hope I’m not intruding?” It’s not Aaron, though. Justin’s head appears after his voice, sunglasses still in his hair, even though it’s getting late. 

“No, come on in, that’s cool,” Willie says, looking down again when Eva makes a grumpy sounding noise and tugs at the bottle in his hand. “Sorry, she gets cranky if I take too long.”

“I can imagine,” Justin says with a grin. “I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of a grizzly, whether they’re a baby or not.” 

Willie laughs and points at the chair opposite. “Sit down, if you want.”

Justin comes into the room a little more, but waves off Willie’s offer, shaking his head. “That’s nice of you, but I really just wanted to say hi and thank you for today.”

“Okay.” Willie nods. “I wish you’d reconsider, though. We haven’t had a chance to talk about anything other than business all day.” Even at lunch, they’d been discussing what Alec and Justin were going to be analysing, had asked Willie all kinds of questions about the zoo, but only to do with visitor numbers and the financials of it all. Willie had left them to it for the afternoon, going back to what he does best - looking after the animals - and hadn’t seen Justin until he’d appeared in his living room a minute ago. “Eva will go to sleep for a while after I give her this, I could make us some coffee.”

Justin doesn’t answer so Willie holds a hand up and apologises. “Sorry, only if you want to, that is. I know it’s late, and you only flew in this morning. You probably want to get back and get a good night’s sleep.”

“No, coffee sounds good, actually,” Justin says, all smiles. “I’m used to late nights on the road, and Alec’s a big boy, he can make his own way to the hotel.”

“Okay, great!” Willie says, standing up with Eva in his arms. “I’ll just put Eva in the other room where she won’t be disturbed.” 

Justin nods and sits down at last. “You should tell me more about her when you get back.”

“With pleasure,” Willie says while Justin relaxes back into the chair, and heads out to carry Eva down the hall to her room. 

The room she sleeps in, when she’s not crawling into Willie’s bed, is the one he has set aside for all the baby animals that need round the clock attention. He’s had all sorts in here, from tiger cubs to otter kits. Eva is the first bear though. She’s mostly asleep in Willie’s arms, but wakes up when he puts her down, grumbling for a moment. Willie gives her the last of her bottle, then sits by her bed until she falls asleep completely, snoring gently.

He leaves the room as quietly as he can and then heads to the kitchen, putting coffee on and looking through the cupboards to see if he has anything he can offer Justin by way of food. He grabs a tin of cookies that Aaron brought over the last time he was here to collect Eva - Willie’s pretty sure Aaron baked them himself, if the way he’d blushed when he handed them over was anything to go by. 

Willie tucks the tin under his arm after he’s poured the coffee into mugs, then takes it all through to the living room. He finds Justin looking through one of his books about bears, looking a lot more laid back. He’s got a couple of buttons open on his shirt now, and Willie gets caught up watching how Justin’s throat works in the open V of his collar, until Justin looks up from the book and smiles at him. 

“Hey,” Justin says, closing the book and holding it up. “This looks good. Mind if I borrow it?”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Willie says, putting the mugs down and juggling the tin of cookies out from under his arm. “Be my guest. I’ve got another one by the same author somewhere.”

“Yeah? About bears?” Justin leans forward to take his coffee, winking at Willie as he settles back again. He takes the sunglasses off his head and hooks them into his shirt. “I read the other day about the B.C. government plans for trophy hunting grizzlies?”

“Oh, man,” Willie says, blowing out a breath and scratching at his beard. He sits down, feeling the weight of the subject matter heavy on his shoulders and in his heart. “Yeah, that’s part of the reason why we adopted Eva. We’re trying to raise awareness, get some more exposure. Get people to come along and meet her, and interact with her, show them what amazing creatures these animals are.”

“Well, Eva is a great place to start, for sure,” Justin says. “She’s so cute; how can anyone not love her?”

“She’s a character,” Willie says with a chuckle. He takes a sip of his coffee, then gestures to the tin. “There’s cookies in there, if you want.”

“Thanks,” Justin says, taking the lid off the tin. “You make these?” he adds after looking in at the contents.

“No, Aaron did,” Willie says, reaching over to snag a couple of cookies. He balances them on his knee and takes another sip of coffee. “At least I think he did. Might have been his mom.”

“His mom?”

“Kid’s only nineteen.” Willie grins over his mug, watching Justin’s eyebrows raise up towards his hairline. “Looks older than me some days, and I’m almost twice his age.” 

“Well, I certainly would never have guessed,” Justin says. He takes a bite of cookie and nods, apparently approving of them.

“About the kid’s age or mine?” Willie asks. He feels relaxed enough to flirt a little. Even if it’s not going to anywhere, it’s nice to get the chance to do it with someone new. It’s not as though Willie has much time to date, or the energy to go out on his rare nights and days off. 

Justin laughs, brushing back the curls that are falling forwards into his eyes since he’s taken the sunglasses off his head. “I meant Aaron, but you definitely don’t look that old either.”

Willie grins, charmed, and he guesses this is the reaction Justin was aiming for when he gets a smile back.

;;

The cookies are all gone by the time Justin looks at his watch and declares that he really ought to be going.

“Time got away from us there, eh?” Willie says, walking Justin to the door. “Thanks for stopping by. I really enjoyed this evening.”

“Yeah, so did I,” Justin says, stepping out onto the porch. “I’ll see you in the morning?”

“I’ll be around the park, but I will stick my head into the office, see how you’re getting along.” Willie taps his fingers on the doorframe, watching Justin pull his phone out from his jeans pocket. “You need a ride back?”

“I’ll call a cab,” Justin says, waving the phone. “Besides, you’ve got a cub to look after.”

Willie nods. “Tomorrow then,” he says after a pause. He looks up into Justin’s eyes again, and can’t fight the urge to lick his lips when he sees Justin looking at his mouth.

“Good night, Willie.”

;;

“How long is the flight?” Willie asks as he pulls up outside the airport. He leaves his turn signal flashing and gets out to grab Justin and Alec’s bags from the trunk. He sets them down on the sidewalk and waits with his hands in the pockets of his shorts.

“Not long,” Justin says, sliding his sunglasses down from the top of his head, hiding his eyes so Willie can only see his own reflection in them. “Only a few hours.”

“So, if I needed to call you back for any reason, you could just hop on a plane and be here in next to no time?” Willie watches his reflection tip its head to one side, eyebrows lifted slightly.

Justin grins, nodding. “Yeah, you could.”

“Okay, that’s good to know.” Willie holds his hand out and Justin grasps it, his hand warm and dry, only slightly smaller than Willie’s. He wonders how rough his feels, if Justin can feel all the years of hard work in the park, all the scratches and bites he’s received, the insect stings and broken fingers. “It was good to meet you, Justin.”

“You too, Willie,” Justin says, giving Willie’s hand one last squeeze before letting go. He takes a step back and Alec takes his place, shaking Willie’s hand just as firm, friendly but there’s something missing in the way he does it compared to Justin. “We’ll be in touch with some ideas soon.”

Willie smiles. “I’ll look forward to it.”

;;

_“Hello?”_

“Hey, Justin. It’s Willie Mitchell - at the zoo.”

_“Don’t worry, I remember you.”_

“Yeah? Well, good. I was just calling to check that you got the email I sent you with those forecasted visitor numbers?”

_“Yeah, I got them this morning. Thanks for sending them over. You must be busy at the moment. You’ve got new tiger cubs, right?”_

“Yeah! Born last week. They’re doing great, so’s the momma tiger. We keep them separate though, because we’ll probably send a couple to another zoo with a breeding scheme or who does the same conservation awareness work as us.”

_“Oh, that’s great to hear. Keep me updated, eh?”_

“Definitely. I’ll send you some pictures.”

_“I’d like that.”_

“My pleasure. Hey, I’d better let you go, but I’ll email you, okay?”

_“Okay, Willie. Take care.”_

“Bye, Justin.”

;;

“Hi, it’s Willie, sorry I can’t get to my phone - I’ve probably got animal crap up to my elbows. Leave me a message and I’ll call you back when I’ve got clean hands!”

_“Hahaha, now that’s not a message you hear every day. It’s early, so I hope you’re still sleeping. I’m in a cab heading to the airport - LA this time - so I just thought I’d call and… well, I don’t know, really. Just wanted to talk to you, I guess. Thanks for those pictures, by the way. The tigers look like they’re a handful, and Eva is growing so much! I hope she’s behaving. I know what a naughty bear she can be. I’ve got a dinner meeting but maybe I’ll try you again before then. Bye.”_

;;

Willie plays the message while he waits for his coffee to brew, leaning over the counter in the kitchen, idly eating a bowl of cereal. He’d been out for a quick run when he’d first woken up and hadn’t looked at his phone properly until he’d got back and seen the notification. Justin’s voice sounds different this time, a sleepy note to it, testament to the early hour of the call. They’ve spoken on enough occasions in the time since Justin was in Florida that Willie has heard his voice in a number of different situations and moods, has heard Justin when he’s stressed and close to a deadline and calling to vent, has heard what Justin sounds like when he’s focused and all business, and equally when he’s called just to discuss the previous night’s hockey scores, laid back and full of laughter.

Willie has soaked all of it up, as often and as much as he can. He’s tried to tell himself that falling for a man who lives, at best, three hours flying time away and is, for all intents and purposes, totally unavailable, is not necessarily healthy, but it’s not like he can help it. 

He pours his coffee and replays the message, smiling when Justin calls Eva a naughty bear, and murmurs “you got that right” into his coffee cup.

;;

Willie has just finished making sure all the enclosures are secured for the night, and that all the water butts are filled and any late feeds have been given, when his phone rings in his back pocket. He wipes his hands on his shorts and takes it out, grinning at Justin’s name on the display.

“Hey, stranger,” Willie says when he picks up, walking down the path away from the tiger enclosure. He sits down on the next bench and leans back under the palm tree overhead. “How was London?”

“It was great,” Justin says, sounding good but tired. “Not that I saw much besides my hotel and the office, but it’s still such an interesting place to visit. The buildings are so different.”

“I’m sure,” Willie says. He’s never been to Europe, but he’s watched enough TV shows to have a general idea. “I’ve never been, but I’d like to, someday.”

“If you get the chance, you should.” There is traffic noise in the background, and Willie guesses Justin must be calling from the airport. “So, I was wondering what your plans were for the Fourth tomorrow.”

“Nothing special. The zoo is closed, but I still have to check on everyone as normal,” Willie says, leaning forward. Why would Justin want to know his plans? Unless - “Why? Are you in town?”

“That was going to be my next point,” Justin says, and Willie can hear the smile in his voice. “The only flight I could get back from London has a layover in Miami, so I’m at a loose end for tomorrow. Think you could fit me into your busy schedule?”

Willie laughs, suddenly brimming with happiness himself. “Yeah, I think I can do that. How does an early dinner sound? It’ll be busy with the holiday, but I know a few people who owe me favours. I’ll get us a reservation.”

“Okay, work your magic and let me know when to be ready,” Justin says. “I’m going to spend the day by the pool, I think.”

“Have a daiquiri for me, will you?” Willie asks, getting to his feet again and stretching. “And think of me cleaning animals out while you lie in the sun.”

Justin chuckles. “I will. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I can’t wait.”

;;

Willie is jittery the next morning, on edge in a way he hasn’t been in a long time. He tells himself in the mirror that he’s being stupid, that there’s no need to be nervous about dinner with a friend, or a business colleague, but their conversations have been less and less about work or business, and more about - well, anything and everything. He splashes his face with water and debates shaving but decides to stick with the beard. 

He meets up with Aaron out in the zoo, grateful when Aaron puts a travel mug of coffee in his hand before he even says good morning.

“Hey, boss,” Aaron says in that sleepy drawl of his. “I put cream and sugar in it.”

“Thanks, Ek,” Willie says, breathing in a lungful of the coffee smell before he drinks some. “It’s great.”

Aaron smiles, one side of his mouth lifting up higher than the other. “You’re welcome. So, who do we want to do first?”

Willie waves towards the lemurs with his free hand, then tugs his ball cap down a little further on his head. “Lemurs, then the cats.”

“Sure thing.”

;;

“Are you still okay to take Eva tonight?” Willie asks while Aaron tosses out another chunk of meat into the enclosure. They’re halfway through their day, and Willie is still thinking about dinner with Justin later on. “I know it’s the Fourth, and all.”

“Yeah, it’s no problem,” Aaron says, turning and smiling over his shoulder. “I didn’t make any plans. Eva and I will have a great time.”

“Thanks, kid,” Willie says, patting Aaron on the back. “I appreciate it.”

“Do you have something you’re doing tonight then?”

“Uh, maybe,” Willie says. He scratches the back of his neck, runs his fingers through his hair. “I mean, yeah, I do. I’m having dinner with someone.”

“Ohh, is this like a date or something?” Aaron asks as he puts the now empty bucket down and strips the latex gloves off his hands. “Who is it with? Is it the vet guy again? I thought he moved.”

“No, it’s not him, and how did you know about him anyway?”

Aaron waves his hand around. “People talk, Boss.”

“I hope you’re not doing any of the talking,” Willie says, narrowing his eyes. He’s beginning to regret mentioning anything about it.

“Secret is safe with me,” Aaron says with a shrug that doesn’t convince Willie all that much. “So who is it?”

“I’m not sure I should say.” Willie picks up the empty bucket and heads back to the food preparation room, Aaron close on his heels. “I didn’t realise I employed so many gossips.”

“Aw, come on, I promise I won’t say anything to anyone,” Aaron says. Willie thinks he might even be pouting about it. Aaron is a busy body who should keep his nose out, Willie thinks.

Willie takes a deep breath and says, “it’s Justin from D.C. - you know, he came down a few months ago. The consultant.” It’s a little sad how much better he feels after telling someone, even if it is his intern.

“Ohhhh!” Aaron says, slapping Willie on the back. “That’s why you’ve been calling him so much. Doing the whole long-distance thing, eh?”

“No, not really,” Willie says, pushing Aaron away when he tries to hug him. “I don’t even know if this is actually a date.”

“Just go for it, Mitchy,” Aaron says, shrugging. “If you want him.”

Willie shakes his head. “Why am I even talking to you about this? You’re nineteen, of course that’s what you’re going to say.”

“I’m wise beyond my years, my mom always said.”

Willie snorts. “Well, why don’t you take your wise-ass and get in there and cut up some fruit for Eva.”

;;

Justin’s waiting in the lobby of his hotel when Willie gets there, leaning against a pillar checking his phone, looking like something out of Esquire magazine. Willie stops dead in his tracks and looks down at himself in his shorts and boat shoes. “Too late now,” he murmurs under his breath, then walks over and makes his presence known.

“Hey,” Willie says, making Justin look up from his phone. “It’s good to see you.”

Justin beams at him and opens his arms, enveloping Willie in a warm hug. “It’s good to see you, too.” He pulls back, leaving his hand resting on Willie’s bare arm. His hand is just as warm and soft as Willie remembers. “Although I feel overdressed now. Should I go and change?”

“No, you’re fine,” Willie says, taking the opportunity to look Justin up and down again. He looks so good in his shirt and suit pants, both just tight enough to show off his muscles. Willie bites down on the inside of his cheek for a second. “I just don’t own anything other than shorts, if I’m honest.”

Justin laughs and it’s so good to hear it in person again. “Okay, if you say so.”

Willie nods. “Come on, it’s not far. We can walk.”

“Lead the way.”

;;

“So this is… what exactly?”

“Peruvian-Japanese fusion,” Willie says, holding the door open for Justin. He nods at the server and makes his way to the table she indicates. You'll like it, I promise.”

“It sounds interesting, for sure,” Justin says. He picks up a menu as they take their seats. “So tell me what’s good.” 

;;

“We should find somewhere to watch the fireworks,” Willie says as they leave the restaurant, both pleasantly buzzed on hot sake. “Down by the beach.”

“Sounds great,” Justin says, falling into step alongside him,close enough that their arms brush as they walk. The streets are busy with people making their way to celebrate the holiday, Stars and Stripes everywhere. “I need to walk off that last plate of rolls.”

Willie laughs and pats his stomach. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I should have stopped myself earlier, too.”

“It was good, though,” Justin says. He nudges Willie with his elbow. “Thank you.”

“Any time.” Willie brushes his fingers against Justin’s forearm, turning to look at him when they stop at a crosswalk. “I’m really glad we had the opportunity.”

“Yeah,” Justin says, his hand touching Willie’s. “Me too.”

Willie never thought such things as rushes of attraction actually happened, but there’s something travelling through him as he looks into Justin’s eyes that can only be described as that. He can’t help the smile he feels forming and the moment is only interrupted by the walk signal changing, sending a stream of people past and around them. 

“Come on,” Willie says, putting his hand at the small of Justin’s back. “Before all the best spots are taken.”

;;

The beach is busy, heaving with people and families with kids, music and laughter everywhere. It’s infectious, and Willie finds himself grinning over at Justin as they push their way through the crowd, trying to find somewhere to stand and wait for the fireworks.

“Shall I get us some drinks?” Justin says, raising his voice to be heard over the music, leaning in close enough that Willie can feel Justin’s breath on his cheek.

“Okay,” Willie says back, turning to speak into Justin’s ear, lips brushing the shell of it. It sends another rush through him, his mouth buzzing just from that small contact.

Justin nods as he steps away, looking back over his shoulder as he moves back into the throng of people. Willie takes a deep breath and turns his face up to the sky for a moment, watching the stars. All the things he’d been pushing down, trying not to hope for every time Justin calls, what it might mean… it all feels like it’s less of a fantasy, and like something might be actually, finally, happening.

Willie clears his throat and moves out of the path of a family with two small children, both clutching little flags on sticks in each hand. He steps back to wait for Justin under a palm, people watching.

“Hey,” Justin says when he gets back, a beer in each hand. He hands one to Willie and then comes to stand close by Willie’s side. Willie puts his free hand on the back of Justin’s neck, rubbing his thumb over the short hair at the nape of it. Justin pushes into the touch, and Willie lets his hand trail across to Justin’s shoulder so that his arm is resting across Justin’s back.

“I have a confession,” Justin says after they’ve been sipping their beer in silence for a while, looking out at the rest of the beach, people moving around, dancing. 

“Yeah?” Willie’s heart gives a hard thump in his chest.

“Yeah.” Justin turns under Willie’s arm, putting his hand on Willie’s waist. “This wasn’t the only flight home I could get. I could’ve flown straight to D.C., but I wanted to see you.”

Willie’s heart thumps again, and he swallows around the sudden lump in his throat, a knot of feelings lodged there. “Oh, yeah?”

“I wanted to see if I was imagining things,” Justin says, taking another step closer, hand moving up to Willie’s ribs and back down, trailing heat in its wake. Willie has a couple of inches on him, but standing in the sand like this, the difference is almost evened out, so Willie is looking right into Justin’s eyes. “And I don’t think I am.”

“No,” Willie says, shaking his head. He can feel a smile creeping over his face, excitement making his fingers start to tingle. He lifts his hand and brushes Justin’s curls back with his fingertips. “No, you’re not imagining things. I’ve been thinking about you a lot, about whether there was something there between us.”

“I’m glad I was right,” Justin says just as a voice comes over the PA system and announces that the firework display is about to start. 

Willie pushes his fingers deeper into Justin’s hair, leaning in the final few inches to bring their mouths together as the sky explodes with colour. Justin’s lips are sweet and soft against Willie’s, curved into a matching smile. Willie rests his beer carefully against Justin’s hip and deepens the kiss, letting out a soft groan when Justin responds to it, curling his tongue around Willie’s.

Willie would be embarrassed about the fact their first kiss was in the midst of a fireworks display, but he’s too busy enjoying the moment to care. He feels like he’s been waiting for too long for this to happen, ever since that first night when they had coffee at his place. 

Justin is the first to pull away, pressing his lips to Willie’s a few times before stopping altogether. His eyes are wide and dark, mouth flushed the same pink as his cheeks. Willie has to kiss him again.

“Oh my God,” Justin breathes when they separate this time, resting his forehead against Willie’s. “I think we should go someplace else before we start scaring kids.”

Willie laughs, feeling giddy and breathless. He nods, putting enough distance between them for a moment so that the temptation dies down enough that he can drain the last of his beer. It does nothing to wash away the memory of the way Justin’s mouth felt and tasted.

“How quickly do you think we can get back to your hotel?”

“Let’s find out.”

;;

Justin pushes Willie backwards into the room, hands urgent as they tug at clothes, making Willie feel ten, twenty years younger than he is. He pulls Justin up against him, kissing him as he runs his hands over Justin’s back, then down to his ass. 

“Been wanting to get my hands on you for months,” Willie says into Justin’s mouth, squeezing. “That sounded better in my head.”

Justin laughs, his own hands making quick work of the buttons on his shirt, knuckles scraping against Willie’s chest as he goes. “It’s okay. I know the feeling.”

Willie looks down when Justin’s shirt gapes open, taking in the broad chest that’s now on show, all smooth skin that Willie wants to get his mouth on. He kisses his way down Justin’s neck, nipping with his teeth and lips, raising pink marks that fade away too quickly. Willie wants to get Justin spread out underneath him, but they need less clothes first. He pulls his t-shirt off over his head and tosses it onto a chair in the corner, then steps out of his shoes and shorts almost in one motion, then stands in his underwear and watches Justin get undressed.

“Can I blow you?” Willie asks when they’re on the bed, kissing Justin’s neck again. He bites a little harder this time, and the pink mark doesn’t fade when he pulls away. 

“Fuck, yeah,” Justin says, his hand already on the back of Willie’s head as Willie moves down his body. Willie scatters kisses over Justin’s stomach, nosing at the thatch of hair above his dick once he’s pulled Justin’s underwear down his thighs. He shifts to the side so that Justin can kick them off, then licks his palm and gets his hand on Justin’s cock.

Justin groans and arches up into it, pushing his cock through the circle of Willie’s fingers. Willie keeps his hand at the base of it as he bends forward to take Justin into his mouth.

“Oh, god, yeah,” Justin moans, gripping the hair at the back of Willie’s head tight. Willie doesn’t mind. “Yeah, like that.”

Willie lets Justin’s hand guide him, moving his mouth up and down Justin’s length at the speed he wants, swallowing around him, both of them moaning, getting louder as Justin gets closer to coming. Words of encouragement keep spilling out of Justin’s mouth, and if the dick in his mouth wasn’t getting him hard already, then Justin moaning his name would be enough on its own.

Justin’s breathing gets more and more ragged, stomach moving in and out fast when Willie looks up at him. “If you’re not going to swallow, pull off now,” he says, panting, yanking hard on Willie’s hair. 

Willie debates the choice for a second then sits back on his heels, the urge to watch Justin’s face while he comes winning out over the urge to feel him come in his mouth. He tightens his grip and uses his saliva to stroke Justin over the edge, watching as he curls in on himself, mouth open as he moans through it. There are streaks of white all over his stomach and chest when he falls back into the pillows, skin flushed and sweaty. He looks so good Willie’s dick pulses out a mess of precome in his briefs.

“Holy moly,” Justin says, flinging his arm over his head. “You should jerk off on me, Willie.”

Willie nods, crawling up the bed so that he can kneel either side of Justin’s hips. He pushes his briefs down far enough to get his dick out and moans when he gets a hand on himself. He looks down at the red tip as it fucks in and out of his grip, then back up to find Justin’s eyes trained dead on him. He keeps his eyes locked on Justin as he moves his hand faster and faster, concentrating on the head, rubbing his thumb just under the ridge of it, needing to come hard and soon.

He gasps as he comes, splashing over Justin’s stomach, while Justin’s hand rubs up and down Willie’s thigh. He takes a few seconds to breathe, then falls down next to Justin on the bed.

“Do you have to get back to your cub tonight?” Justin asks when Willie is already half asleep, one arm thrown across Justin’s chest.

“No,” Willie mumbles into Justin’s hair. “Aaron’s babysitting.”

“Good.”

;;

Willie wakes up to a bear in his bed. 

“Eva,” Justin groans from behind Willie’s back. “Willie, your bear is in bed with us again.”

“Good morning, Eva,” Willie says without opening his eyes. He gropes about with his hand, finding Eva’s paw and holding onto it for a second. “She’s okay, babe. Go back to sleep.”

;;

Eva leaves when she’s seven months old, closer to the size of a linebacker, and with a fondness for ice cream. Willie drives her across the country to a reserve in Colorado where she can make other bear friends and grow up in safety.

Willie cries as she walks away from him, but it’s okay, because when he drives back to Florida, Justin is waiting for him.

~the~end~


End file.
